“You have a talent that is unique . . . so unique that there’s no one else alive on this planet that has that talent.”
-Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
It’s easy to look at yourself and not believe this quote. Because your unique talents come so easily to you, you don’t notice they’re unique. They come so naturally you just assume everyone can do them.
These talents feel so ordinary that we stumble into using them in their highest form by accident. But when we do, those around us experience the extraordinary.
There’s no better example of this than in the book, “Once Upon a Town” by Bob Greene.
The United States was pulled into World War II after the strike on Pearl Harbor. Troops were quickly mobilized and trains were the most efficient way to move troops throughout the country. North Platte was a “refueling” station for all trains headed east or west. The trains would be stopped for 20 minutes to load up with coal and water before heading out again.
Several men from North Platte and the surrounding areas were serving in Company D of the Nebraska National Guard. Word had gotten out that their train would be coming through North Platte. The women in the area wanted to do something special for their boys and gathered enough food and drinks for the 300 troops on the train.
But when the train rolled into the station, it was not Company D from Nebraska. It was Company D of Kansas. After a few awkward moments, the women passed out all the food to the Kansas troops. Even though the recipients changed, the act of kindness didn’t. One officer said this was the first time anyone had met their train and the compassion of the people of North Platte lifted the spirits of the men.
One woman, Rae Wilson, was so moved by this experience that she challenged the town to meet each troop train with the same level of hospitality and support. 30 trains came through the North Platte station every day, at all hours of the day.
And the North Platte “Canteen” met every single train.
The Canteen was born out of one small act of preparing food for soldiers traveling across the country. Individually, the women did ordinary things. Greene interviewed women who were cooks and staff at the North Platte train station, and none of them recalled feeling like they were doing anything special. They all had relatives or friends who were serving in the Armed Forces. They were just doing ordinary things to do their part.
But the impact they had was extraordinary. The Canteen continued to meet every train and provide food to soldiers until April 1, 1946.
The veterans on those trains still get emotional when talking about their experiences. Most soldiers were 19 or 20 years old at the time. They were away from home for the first time, nervous about the realities of war, and had no idea where they would end up.
This brief stop at the North Platte train station meant the world to them.
They told stories of the laughter and kindness they experienced. The home-cooked food was a welcome change after living on military rations. The Canteen made them feel like something was right in a world filled with chaos.
Soldiers would tell other men heading towards North Platte of the wonderful experience they were about to have. Others told stories of sitting in a foxhole on a battlefield and sharing stories of the Canteen. Every person who traveled through that Canteen remembered it fondly. It was a bright stop on a long, tiring journey.
It was born out of the ordinary. Women came together using their talents to cook, organize, and offer kindness in a way that didn’t feel special but was. This story and Greene’s book exemplify how tiny acts of random kindness can mean the world to someone else.
You never know how pausing to be kind to another will impact their life. So, when you feel the urge, lean into it. When you use your natural gifts and talents to help someone, even in some small way, you send extraordinary ripples into the world.
I hope all of us discover how truly impactful our natural gifts and talents can be.